In a place where countless colored lights filled the space, shifting and swirling endlessly, the very fabric of the room seemed to change with their movement.
Yet, amidst this ever shifting brilliance, a lone figure sat cross legged in the center, motionless as a statue.
A figure cloaked in darkness.
Then, as the figure's blood red eyes slowly opened, the vibrant hues of the room began to fade. One by one, the lights dimmed, as if being devoured by the encroaching darkness.
But just as the last traces of color were consumed, thick chains materialized from the void, shooting forward with terrifying speed, wrapping themselves around the dark figure.
Bound by the heavy chains, the figure did not struggle.
It did not panic.
It had expected this.
Silent and still, it remained unfazed.
As the chains tightened and the darkness withdrew, the countless colored lights returned, resuming their restless dance.
Yet, something had changed.
The figure's glowing crimson eyes flared, their eerie radiance consuming the room in a blood red glow.
And in that moment, a vision appeared before it.
A cave.
Within the cave, two monstrous eyes were drawn onto the stone floor, each with four pupils. Between their brows lay a single circle, within which a woman and a Blood Fox lay motionless.
Then, the fox stirred.
And without hesitation, it sank its fangs into the woman's flesh.
The figure's eyes shone even brighter, its focus sharpening as whispers stirred in the void behind it.
Turning slightly, it saw a young man standing there.
A boy dressed in a tattered green robe, stained with dried blood. Black hair. Azure eyes.
The figure's gaze lingered.
But then, it looked deeper.
Beyond the boy's outward appearance.
Beyond his very soul.
And there… it saw something.
Yet, the figure did not react.
It merely observed in silence, keeping its discovery to itself.
Turning its attention back to the cave, it watched with satisfaction as the Blood Fox tore into the woman, reveling in her agony.
Her screams.
Her desperate pleas.
Her final, broken expression as death claimed her.
It savored every moment.
And as the performance came to an end, the figure let out a pleased hum.
A reward was in order.
With a single glance, the dried blood scattered across the ground began to stir.
It twisted.
Shifted.
Transformed.
Thick, crimson mist rose, swirling like a living entity, slowly wrapping itself around the Blood Fox's body.
The Blood Fox slowly inhaled the blood mist, its body quivering as the essence seeped into its being.
Then… it began to change.
The blood fox muscles bulged, its claws extended, and its once black fur took on a deep crimson hue, pulsing like flowing blood
Power surged through its veins.
And yet, despite its newfound strength, the Blood Fox did not move.
the figure glowing crimson eyes flickered toward the green robed young man standing before it.
In his hand, a blade gleamed.
the figure understood instantly.
Yet, it did not fear.
No…
It merely enjoyed the show.
The blood.
The pain.
The suffering.
So it waited.
And as the Blood Crystal,a mark of its evolution,began to manifest within the blood fox´s body…
The blade struck.
Swift. Precise. Unforgiving.
The cold steel pierced the back of the Blood Fox's neck.
Blood Fox's body shuddered.
The light in its eyes flickered… and died.
A moment later, the green robed young man stepped forward, his hands steady as he reached for the fresh Blood Crystal.
With one swift motion, he ripped it from the beast's flesh.
Scarlet liquid dripped between his fingers.
And then…
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
He swallowed it whole.
The dark figure watched, its glowing crimson eyes narrowing in amusement.
This boy…
How entertaining.
The moment the Blood Crystal passed his lips, the pain began.
Agony.
True, unrelenting agony.
The green robed young man writhed, his body convulsing, his veins burning as though molten iron coursed through them.
Yet, despite the suffering, despite the torment, he endured.
He did not scream.
He did not beg.
He simply… endured.
The dark figure's gaze flickered.
It listened.
And there it was.
The melody.
The melody of pain.
The silent song of a soul drowning in torment, yet refusing to break.
How amusing.
But soon…
The suffering ended.
The boy's breathing steadied. His trembling ceased. His azure eyes burned with newfound clarity.
And at that moment, the dark figure's interest waned.
Its blood red eyes began to dim, its form slowly fading from the scene.
Nothing more of note would happen.
This show had reached its final act.
But then…
Just as the darkness began to consume its presence entirely…
It saw something.
Something that surprised it.
Something that made it pause.
And then…
It truly vanished.
In the colorful realm, where lights danced in an endless waltz, the dark figure slowly curled its lips into a grin.
It had seen.
And it was pleased.
A low chuckle escaped cold and sharp, echoing through the boundless void.
"Interesting."
With those parting words, the world trembled.
Once more, the lights shuddered.
Once more, they felt the creeping touch of darkness.
Fear.
Panic.
They scrambled, flickering wildly, trying to escape the inevitable.
But before the shadows could fully consume the realm…
Chains.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Appeared from the void, shooting forth with blinding speed.
They coiled around the dark figure.
They wrapped around its form, constricting it, binding it, suppressing it.
Until…
Not even its shadow remained.
The lights stilled.
The chaos ceased.
And the realm…
Returned to peace.
As if nothing had ever happened.
At the edge of the thirty plants forest Yuans began to look for a last time at the thirty plants forest and sighed.
Yuan took one last look at the vast woodland before letting out a quiet sigh.
"It was a good thing I came here."
A chuckle escaped his lips, low and rough, as he thought back to how close he had come to death. But soon, his thoughts drifted elsewhere,to the ritual he had performed.
"It's truly possible to conduct a Blood Ritual of the God of Blood… or how did those fanatics call it? The God of Life?" Yuan smirked, shaking his head. "Well, what can I say? The Thirteen Churches are truly bizarre. But even more bizarre are the rituals they created."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"They can even be performed in the lower plane…"
A moment of silence passed before he clicked his tongue.
"Thankfully, there isn't even a single Church in the lower plane. But still… conducting that ritual was a risk. A huge risk."
Despite his words, his lips curled into a small grin.
"But it was worth it. The Blood Fiend Lower Physique… truly a useful physique for the path ahead. Even with its… drawbacks."
As he stood there, Yuan recounted the knowledge of the Blood Fiend Physique in his mind.
The Blood Fiend Lower Physique had three stages of advancements.
The Lower Stage,the weakest but also the foundation of the physique. At this stage, the user must consume the blood of a being at least one tier higher than themselves once per week. If they fail to do so, their blood flow will slow, their body will weaken, and eventually, their body temperature will drop to nothing,leading to certain death.
The Greater Stage,a vast improvement over the Lower Stage. A Greater Blood Fiend still needed to drink the blood of a being at least one stage higher, but unlike the lower stage, they could go an entire year without consuming blood. However, if they exceeded this limit, they would perish just the same.
Then the True Blood Fiend Stage,the peak of the physique. At this level, a True Blood Fiend could survive for 100 years without drinking a single drop of blood. But beyond that time, their strength would begin to wane. They would not die,but their power would gradually fade, their body growing weaker and weaker until they became nothing more than a frail husk of their former self.
Yuan's fingers twitched slightly as he pondered over the risks and rewards of the physique.
"I payed a high price for this Physique " he murmured. "But power always comes with a cost."
for this physique, Yuan had paid a price.
He had sacrificed a little of his talent, for swallowing the Blood Crystal was never something meant for humans. It was an meant only for devils,demons and demonic beast.
Yet, over countless years, there had been humans who defied this rule.
They sought power and then created these rituals, forcing their bodies to endure the transformation into Blood Fiends. However, instead of fully becoming true Blood Fiends, these humans only managed to create an imperfect version,a Half-Blood Fiend.
Normally, the ritual could turn one into a True Blood Fiend, but these Half Blood Fiends had devised a lower tier variation of the transformation.
The God of Blood, amused by their ambition, had allowed it.
He had even modified the ritual, making it possible for humans to tread this path without instantly succumbing to Madness.
And while the Blood Fiend Lower Physique was an incomplete version of the true transformation, it still had its benefits.
The greatest advantage was the ability to double the amount of spiritual blood a Blood Purification stage cultivator could generate.
With such a physique, breaking through the Meridian Awakening stage and the Bone Forging stage would be significantly easier.
The benefits faded once one reached the Marrow Essence stage.
At that point, the Blood Fiend Lower Physique would become a shackle, limiting for further growth.
Thus, before reaching that bottleneck…
Yuan would have to advance it into the Blood Fiend Great Physique.
But these thoughts were for the future.
Yuan's mind drifted back to the Crystal Blue Quasi-Spiritual Sword. He had broken it and left it somewhere at the edges of the core region of the forest. A waste of valuable materials. He sighed at the thought, but soon, another concern filled his mind,the sect.
He had failed the mission he accepted.
With that thought weighing on him, he turned his steps toward the village.
Upon arrival, he greeted the familiar guards he had met before. He calmly explained that he had searched tirelessly throughout the outer regions of the forest but had found nothing. After giving his report, Yuan stated that he would go and meet Elder Rein.
As he walked through the village, heading toward the elder's tent, he noticed several villagers staring at him in shock. Their eyes were wide, filled with disbelief.
Yuan ignored them.
He continued forward without reacting, stepping toward the entrance of the tent.
Standing before it, he called out,
"Elder Rein, may I come in?"
A slightly annoyed voice responded from within.
"Yes, come in!"
Yuan stepped inside.
The moment Elder Rein laid eyes on him, his expression froze in shock.
For a moment, the old man was utterly stunned. His gaze flickered across Yuan's form, taking in the clean green robe, the lack of injuries, the calmness in his expression.
Then, after a brief silence, Elder Rein's lips curled into a relieved smile.
With a respectful salute, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! Sir Yuan is here! Please, wait just a moment,I shall prepare tea for you immediately!"
His voice was filled with genuine joy as he hurriedly began preparing the tea.
"And it seems Sir Yuan is well! That must mean the demonic beast is finally dead! Thanks to the heavens! The lost souls of our village can finally rest in peace!"
As Elder Rein began to brew the same tea he had once served before, Yuan sighed and shook his head.
"Elder Rein, that is not true." His voice was calm, yet carried a hint of regret. "Though I spent my entire time in the outskirts of the Thirty Plants Forest, I never encountered the demonic snake-like beast. I didn't find anything at all."
Yuan's expression remained indifferent as he continued, "I searched everywhere,every rock, under every tree,but there was nothing. I must report this to the sect. Perhaps the demonic beast has already left the Thirty Plants Forest… or maybe it ventured into the inner or core regions. A pity,I couldn't visit the deeper areas, nor could I gather any further information!"
Yuan spoke about the situation, explaining that he had found no signs of the demonic beast, nor any clues to its whereabouts. He even voiced his frustration about failing the mission.
But the more Yuan spoke, the more Elder Rein seemed to grow uneasy.
His once-relaxed demeanor began to shift, a subtle nervousness creeping into his expression.
Yet, neither of them acknowledged it.
As the tea finally finished brewing, they let the conversation drift into lighter topics.
Elder Rein shared stories of his past as a cultivator, recounting the adventures and experiences of his youth. Yuan listened, occasionally responding, but he knew better than to press further into the elder's visible discomfort.
The day passed.
Night came and went.
By the time the morning sun shone upon the village once more, Yuan knew it was time to leave.
Standing at the village gates, he turned to Elder Rein and gave a polite nod.
"Elder Rein, I bid you farewell."
With those parting words, he left the village behind.